OzzieMandias

Fine example of his "loyalty", really. There he is, playing for the club he "supported as a boy", and he's whining about how Benitez doesn't play him often enough or use him in the way he wants to be used (according to that report, anyway). It's all me, me, me. A bit like when he started muttering about how he'd have to leave us if we signed Rooney.

Allardyce in a heartbeat.

Tino’s ball over his left shoulder that set Gillespie free and led to the first goal against Barcelona.

Looks like Man City may be next: http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2064309,00.html

I think Belgravia are still lurking. If Shepherd tries to buy out the Halls, I bet they'll be back in with an offer.

that is true. The board is still attempting to be successful, but you have to accept that, at the time when Fletcher etc took over, the only way was up, with new ideas, new finance. Now this is not the case, it is far more difficult to move forwards from the position we are now in, as an established top team, knocking on the door of winning trophies but needing a breakthrough. Get real.

It's bollocks, of course, but I wish we were ending the season with a bit of that confidence.

Well, if "heritage" means aged shareholders and a family business, then I'm all for ditching it.

And what does that "heritage" involve? You've moved out of Highbury and you rarely field a single Englishman. And if you don't go the way of Liverpool, Man U etc you'll be stuck if you ever lose Wenger and can't find another manager so good at raising the game of relatively cheap young players. And who was it that found Wenger? Oh yeah, David Dein.

Huge distances between the match cities. Warsaw to Donetsk is further than London to Warsaw.

Better Poland/Ukraine than Italy, but, for totally selfish reasons, I'd rather have had Hungary/Croatia.

Well, I agree with vic. If you totally disregard all of Mourinho's achievements, his record does indeed look a bit crap.

Out of that lot, Allardyce, Hughes or O'Neill.

Hmm. Maybe we can come up with a cunning plan...

No one. A few years ago a really close friend of mine died suddenly – someone I'd known for 20 years. As you do, I thought a lot about what he'd meant to me, and how he was basically irreplaceable. Leaving aside the fact that he was pretty unique character, even if I met another person like him it would be a further 20 years before I got to know that person so well. OK, rambling a bit. But the point is that no other team could become the one that I grew up with, the one that was playing the first time I ever went to a football match, so long ago that I can barely remember the game. There's nothing to switch to.

Yeah, I guess it was stupid to expect a straight answer from the forum's biggest bullshit merchant.

Steve Bruce has never been offered the chance to manage Newcastle United Shepherd told you that last time you were picking up your pay packet? have you emailed your london journo mate who hates NUFC to dish the dirt on the club you say you support lately ? Come on, tell us how you know Bruce wasn't offered the job, or admit that you don't know.

Steve Bruce has never been offered the chance to manage Newcastle United Shepherd told you that last time you were picking up your pay packet?

Roeder's just been one more step on the road to nowhere. I feel more resigned now than I did under Souness. Like there's even less chance of things being turned around.

Me too.

No. Apart from the fact that we really do need a consistent goalscorer – and assuming he comes back sharp, he's one of the best around – I also subscribe to the theory that it's both good for our profile (with all knock-on effects in terms of merchandise etc) and our ability to attract and retain other talented players if we have such a globally known and respected player on our books.

We noticed.

You don't understand. Fred is desperate to get into G14 as he should be for our future...This kind of thing are test cases that that can set precedents. I don't see how we're going to get into the G14 if we can't even get into the Intertoto.

Precisely my point. Either there's no such clause, or Shepherd is even more stupid than I thought he was.

If there IS a £12 million buy-out clause in Owen’s contact, it has to count as one of THE most stupid things Shepherd has ever done.